Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix known in Europe as Dancing Stage Mario Mix is a 2005 music video game developed by Konami and Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the first Dance Dance Revolution game to be released on a Nintendo video game console outside Japan. Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix predominantly features characters music and locations from the Mario franchise. The game was bundled with the dance pad controller. Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix runs on a modified version of the Mario Party 6 engine and follows the gameplay formula established in all prior Dance Dance Revolution games. The game features several gameplay modes: Story Mode takes the player through a linear progression of tracks framed as a story of Mario and Luigi traveling the Mushroom Kingdom to retrieve the missing Music Keys. Once a track has been cleared in Story Mode it becomes available for play in Free Mode which allows up to two players to dance simultaneously. The player can purchase items at Lakitu's shop during Story Mode that can be used to assist them if they are struggling. Some stages feature "Mush Mode" rules which replace the traditional arrows with Mario enemies that feature unique mechanics. Special minigames will also appear during Story Mode providing alternate gameplay styles such as jumping up on a flagpole or hitting Goombas that emerge from pipes with a hammer. Like the tracks these mini-games will be unlocked for free play in Mini-Game Mode once they have been cleared in Story Mode. Once the player completes Story Mode for the first time they will unlock Story Mode EX which features a slightly altered selection of songs. Additional difficulty levels can also be unlocked.